Australians travelling to the USA

[Xcitdcruiser]

Hi all, this may be a silly question but i've learnt that the silliest are those that aren't asked :)

I'm organising a trip to the US & was wondering about currency. I've heard that cruise lines 'hold' an amount on the credit card & may even charge the credit card daily. I've checked out my fees & charges and there are mutiple fees associated with using the card overseas.

How do you find the best way is to carry / take / manage your spending money in the US? I'm also visiting some Caribbean islands & may need diffirent currencies there...

Thank you in advance for suggestions!

[p_mori7]

I was on Carnival in Europe last August, they charged the card daily.

 

Registered a MC for my S&S account, but had to get it replaced just prior to the cruise because of potential fraud (ended up never having any fraudulent activity).

 

Got called down to guest services on day #2, Sir, the charges against your card are being refused...

 

Gave them the number off the new MC, no more problems.

 

Most Caribbean Isles will gladly take US Currency in cash.

 

Anywhere else in Continental US, MC / VISA / AMEX will work almost everywhere.

 

Always a good idea to carry some cash around. We would use a cash budget for souvenirs.

[MMDown Under]

Hi all, this may be a silly question but i've learnt that the silliest are those that aren't asked :)

I'm organising a trip to the US & was wondering about currency. I've heard that cruise lines 'hold' an amount on the credit card & may even charge the credit card daily. I've checked out my fees & charges and there are mutiple fees associated with using the card overseas.

How do you find the best way is to carry / take / manage your spending money in the US? I'm also visiting some Caribbean islands & may need diffirent currencies there...

Thank you in advance for suggestions!

 

If you get a 28 Degrees Mastercard credit card, there are no fees for overseas use (and no annual fee).

 

You can make a cash deposit to the Purser's Office to cover your expenditure on the cruise, read the Cruise Line fine print for the requested amount. Then you have no "holds" on your cc or unpaid cc bills when you finally get home from your other travels.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Definitely get yourself a 28 Degrees Mastercard.... it will save you hundreds on transaction fees and exchange fees, also they use the day's advertised rates (xe.com) so no slug of 4c in the $ before all the other deductions.

[bobhsv]

Definitely get yourself a 28 Degrees Mastercard.... it will save you hundreds on transaction fees and exchange fees' date=' also they use the day's advertised rates (xe.com) so no slug of 4c in the $ before all the other deductions.[/quote']

 

 

100% agree with the 28 degree Mastercard. Used it last night to pay for some internal USA bookings. Transaction went through straight away, no fees, and at the rate of $1.03 approx....ie same rate as xe. Suggest you take your regular cc as a backup, incase cruiseline or hotels place holds (this I doubt very much though).

[MMDown Under]

100% agree with the 28 degree Mastercard. Used it last night to pay for some internal USA bookings. Transaction went through straight away, no fees, and at the rate of $1.03 approx....ie same rate as xe. Suggest you take your regular cc as a backup, incase cruiseline or hotels place holds (this I doubt very much though).

 

As many Australians do land travel as well as cruises overseas, you need to ask about any "holds" on your credit card, as you don't want any nasty surprises when some of the "holds" take awhile to clear.

[dancinman66]

alot of places if not all there will accept us currency

I in travelling to a place withdraw money from my account on arrival for use in that country or area, and only use my card when I have to

but on the ship I use my credit card as paying the bill early in the morning is a pain in the royal posterior with the ques

[Xcitdcruiser]

Thank you for pointing me into the direction of the 28 degree mastercard, i hadn't come across that before. two further questions

1-what is the difference between 28 degree MC & something like BankWest Zero MC

&

2-along with such a card, your regular cc as back up, is there another 'debit' card to use for cash withdrawals? I'm assuming there would be many fees associated with that also?

[Bob&Janet]

Thank you for pointing me into the direction of the 28 degree mastercard, i hadn't come across that before. two further questions

1-what is the difference between 28 degree MC & something like BankWest Zero MC

&

2-along with such a card, your regular cc as back up, is there another 'debit' card to use for cash withdrawals? I'm assuming there would be many fees associated with that also?

 

Unlike pretty much all other cards, you do not pay any currency conversion fees or international transaction fees with the 28 Degrees card.

 

Using a BankWest Zero MC costs you:

• 2.95% in Foreign Transaction Fees for each transaction occurring outside Australia, whether in foreign currency or Australian dollars (but this is waived for Platinum cardholders); and/or
  
• a Cash Advance Fee - the greater of 2% or $4.00.
  

 

These fees can add up ... if when you are overseas, you put purchases of say $5,000 on your BankWest card and also withdraw say $1,000 in cash at ATMs, you would be paying something like $200 extra in bank fees. With a 28 Degrees card, there would be no fees charged.

 

In this example, I have ignored any fee charged by the ATM owner to use their ATM ... you are likely to cop this no matter what card you use ... unless of course you're using a card owned by or affiliated with that bank, the same as in Australia.

 

Cheers

Bob

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Hi all, this may be a silly question but i've learnt that the silliest are those that aren't asked :)

I'm organising a trip to the US & was wondering about currency. I've heard that cruise lines 'hold' an amount on the credit card & may even charge the credit card daily. I've checked out my fees & charges and there are mutiple fees associated with using the card overseas.

How do you find the best way is to carry / take / manage your spending money in the US? I'm also visiting some Caribbean islands & may need diffirent currencies there...

Thank you in advance for suggestions!

 

All the Caribbean Islands we have been to take US$.... (we have been to about 15 of them so I would think they all would)

 

Make sure you preorder some US$ from Travelex or Australia Post before you go. Take plenty of $1 notes for tipping.

[MMDown Under]

If you visit Barbados and need local currency for public bus (excellent), just buy beautiful stamps on the wharf at small post office and ask for change in Barbados money.

[Xcitdcruiser]

Unlike pretty much all other cards, you do not pay any currency conversion fees or international transaction fees with the 28 Degrees card.

 

 

Using a BankWest Zero MC costs you:

• 2.95% in Foreign Transaction Fees for each transaction occurring outside Australia, whether in foreign currency or Australian dollars (but this is waived for Platinum cardholders); and/or
  
• a Cash Advance Fee - the greater of 2% or $4.00.
  

These fees can add up ... if when you are overseas, you put purchases of say $5,000 on your BankWest card and also withdraw say $1,000 in cash at ATMs, you would be paying something like $200 extra in bank fees. With a 28 Degrees card, there would be no fees charged.

 

In this example, I have ignored any fee charged by the ATM owner to use their ATM ... you are likely to cop this no matter what card you use ... unless of course you're using a card owned by or affiliated with that bank, the same as in Australia.

 

Cheers

Bob

 

Thank you for the info. In terms of the Cash Advance - does this mean you can use the 28 Degrees MC as a debit card also? I assume you would need to load it up ? When using the card for purchases/hotels do you have the option to select credit or debit?

And...what bank is affiliated with this card when withdrawing? -so chase down those ATM's :)

[MMDown Under]

28 Degrees Mastercard is issued by GE Capital Finance Australia. It is a credit card.

 

This is the web address -

http://www.28degreescard.com.au/

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Thank you for the info. In terms of the Cash Advance - does this mean you can use the 28 Degrees MC as a debit card also? I assume you would need to load it up ? When using the card for purchases/hotels do you have the option to select credit or debit?

And...what bank is affiliated with this card when withdrawing? -so chase down those ATM's :)

 

What some couples I know do is get a 28 Degrees card each..... load one with cash and use it to withdraw at an ATM and use the other for purchases as a Credit Card. You will each have to apply individually.

 

There is no transaction fee charges on this card, so it doesn't matter which Bank ATM you use. Don't use private ones.

[Xcitdcruiser]

What some couples I know do is get a 28 Degrees card each..... load one with cash and use it to withdraw at an ATM and use the other for purchases as a Credit Card. You will each have to apply individually.

 

There is no transaction fee charges on this card' date=' so it doesn't matter which[b'] Bank[/b] ATM you use. Don't use private ones.

 

Great tip!! I looked into the travelex cash passport & their table of fees was extensive. This idea sounds much simpler. Website states if using a westpac ATM it will avoid incurring the 'owners ATM fee' . And it would just be a matter of ensuring that you don't withdraw more cash than what has been deposited. That's when you get charged with the cash advance fee (20.99%pa) - am i on the right path?

[joll]

Website states if using a westpac ATM it will avoid incurring the 'owners ATM fee' . And it would just be a matter of ensuring that you don't withdraw more cash than what has been deposited. That's when you get charged with the cash advance fee (20.99%pa) - am i on the right path?

 

When we first got our 28 Degrees card we transferred a small amount of cash into it (using BPay) and went to a Westpac ATM to withdraw cash and to make sure our PIN nos. worked - no problems. We used a Westpac ATM in New Zealand and there was no ATM charge. Can't remember if there was a charge when we used it in an ATM in the US but there was no charge in Europe. You just have to use an ATM displaying the Mastercard logo.

 

You will get charged the cash advance fee if you withdraw more than you have 'in credit', ie. the amount you have additionally deposited. It's hard to explain but be careful as any purchases (perhaps including your shipboard account if you nominated this credit card) are taken into account to calculate how much is available to withdraw cash.

 

For example, if your Credit Card Limit is $5,000.00 and you deposit $1,000.00 cash (and you have nothing purchased on your card), you have $1,000 available to withdraw in cash. However, any purchases made will immediately reduce the balance which is available to you.

 

If you are lucky enough to have surplus money above your credit limit after your holiday, you can just go to an ATM at home to withdraw the cash or use it as a Mastercard credit card to make purchases.

[Gold Coast Cruisers]

Whatever credit card you decide to take overseas with you always remember to advise your bank of the countries you will be visiting. Then they will keep a check on it and should an 'odd ball' country pop up they will cancel that transaction.

Jilly:)

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Whatever credit card you decide to take overseas with you always remember to advise your bank of the countries you will be visiting. Then they will keep a check on it and should an 'odd ball' country pop up they will cancel that transaction.

 

 

Jilly:)

 

Yes, good advice which we always follow. 28 Degrees is on the ball too in regards to fraudulant transactions. We apparently had our card scammed when we were in Florence Italy this year. It was apparently sold to a scammer in Australia (along with many other peoples details) and they tried to do thousands of $ in transactions. 28 Degrees was on the ball and rang me up after one of the transactions was red flagged. They reimbursed the transactions they did get away with (about $500) very promptly. I wouldn't have known anything was wrong until I got the statement.

[MMDown Under]

Yes' date=' good advice which we always follow. 28 Degrees is on the ball too in regards to fraudulant transactions. We apparently had our card scammed when we were in Florence Italy this year. It was apparently sold to a scammer in Australia (along with many other peoples details) and they tried to do thousands of $ in transactions. 28 Degrees was on the ball and rang me up after one of the transactions was red flagged. They reimbursed the transactions they did get away with (about $500) very promptly. I wouldn't have known anything was wrong until I got the statement.[/quote']

 

Do you know how it got scammed and where in Florence, Eileen?

 

This is why I always carry two credit cards, in case one gets frozen.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Do you know how it got scammed and where in Florence, Eileen?

 

This is why I always carry two credit cards, in case one gets frozen.

 

There was only two places l used it..... at an atm and in a restaurant. As l don't let the card out of my sight in restaurants l tend to think it was the atm.

[MMDown Under]

There was only two places l used it..... at an atm and in a restaurant. As l don't let the card out of my sight in restaurants l tend to think it was the atm.

 

Lucky 28 degrees were on the ball, as it is becoming a major problem.

[Pushka]

I was on Carnival in Europe last August, they charged the card daily.

 

Registered a MC for my S&S account, but had to get it replaced just prior to the cruise because of potential fraud (ended up never having any fraudulent activity).

 

Got called down to guest services on day #2, Sir, the charges against your card are being refused....

 

This is exactly the same as what happened to me. The credit card people actually rang me while waiting to board for the overseas flight and told me my card was cancelled. But in this case there had been fraud the night before. We raided ATMs in Melbourne using different accounts to get cash.

 

Every night but three on the cruise we got called to the front desk. Got very angry with RCL because it turned out it wasnt the alternate card that was the problem but they were using the wrong expiry date. An expiry date we'd never used.

 

It was 28 degrees too.

 

Did your fraud happen in July? I'm wondering if there was a huge fraud at the time. 28 picked up a $1100 transaction and reversed it immediately but they missed a $599 one made at exactly the same time but to a different person. They lived in reservoir, Victoria and had bought an oil heater and blanket. 28 rang me a few weeks later as they had caught the guy and were getting the police to charge them with fraud.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

This is exactly the same as what happened to me. The credit card people actually rang me while waiting to board for the overseas flight and told me my card was cancelled. But in this case there had been fraud the night before. We raided ATMs in Melbourne using different accounts to get cash.

 

Every night but three on the cruise we got called to the front desk. Got very angry with RCL because it turned out it wasnt the alternate card that was the problem but they were using the wrong expiry date. An expiry date we'd never used.

 

It was 28 degrees too.

 

Did your fraud happen in July? I'm wondering if there was a huge fraud at the time. 28 picked up a $1100 transaction and reversed it immediately but they missed a $599 one made at exactly the same time but to a different person. They lived in reservoir, Victoria and had bought an oil heater and blanket. 28 rang me a few weeks later as they had caught the guy and were getting the police to charge them with fraud.

 

No we were in Italy in May.

[Topaz_M]

Similar thing happened to my 28 Degrees card while in Florida last December. Think it was scammed in a restaurant being an unusual card as none of my dining companions (all US) had the same issue.

 

The card was "created" the same afternoon in a place 350kms north of us. And several transactions took place starting with small amounts and culminating in a transaction over $1000 at an Apple store - all in same shopping centre.

 

I didn't realise until over two weeks later on returning to Oz and checking my account online. Rang 28 Degrees on Christmas Eve at around 8pm and they sorted it out. The card was replaced and all the money was returned to my account after they investigated.

[Pushka]

It seems like the 28 degree card gets defrauded more than most. I thought that a few weeks ago, before this thread existed. Of course there are other frauds with other cards but all the posts in this thread relate to this one!

 

Did any of you use RIL or shareashoreexcursion in Italy? Or use booking dot com as a booking site?